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bone, and you know as well as I do every assistant D.A. in this office is overworked. I can’t have you gallivanting around on some fool’s errand, trying to scare up evidence that will convict a man who’s already in jail or exonerate one who’s already been pardoned.”
    “And what if we convicted the wrong man?” she asked. “We can’t let Christopher Gables be executed if it’s possible we got things wrong.”
    “If you help Daniel Logan spin the evidence that way, it would be a very, very bad development for everyone involved.”
    Not for Christopher.
    It would be easy for Jamie to slink out of her boss’s office and tell Daniel she was sorry, but she couldn’t cooperate with him anymore unless she wanted to lose her job.
    But that was a coward’s way out.
    “Jamie. You’re one of my brightest stars. Keep your nose clean, get a few more showy convictions and in a couple more years you might be sitting in this chair.”
    “Me? District attorney?” She almost fell over.
    “Why not you? You’re attractive, smart, hard as an unripe pumpkin and you get the job done. I’m not running for reelection. Someone has to replace me, and it might as well be you.”
    Winston made a shooing gesture with his hands. “Go, Jamie. Earn your paycheck. And don’t lead with your heart.”
    Dazed, Jamie backed out of the office and closed the door. District attorney? She didn’t appreciate that he’d mentioned her looks first, or that he’d compared her to a vegetable, but if he really meant what he’d said…
    No chance of her advancing if it turned out she’d convicted an innocent man in her biggest, most publicized case.
    Still, her conscience would not let her walk away from Daniel Logan and his quest. If the D.A. wouldn’t authorize her to cooperate, she would do what she could nights, weekends and on her lunch break. To do otherwise would be wrong.
    A conscience could be a real inconvenience, sometimes.





CHAPTER FIVE
    D ANIEL’S FAVORITE HORSE, Laramie, thundered down the polo field as Daniel focused on the ball, leaning over the horse’s neck, becoming one with the surging animal.
    He swung his mallet up, and with the perfect timing that happens so rarely, gave the ball a resounding thwack, launching it straight into the opposing team’s goal.
    A cheer went up and he brought Laramie up and swiveled him around, feeling a momentary wash of elation at seeing his teammates congratulate him.
    He often invited a local polo team to play on his field, just so he could keep his hand in the sport he’d enjoyed in college and give his two ponies some exercise. He also found that the strenuous mental and physical exertion that went with playing polo helped to sweep his mind of extraneous thoughts so that he could focus more clearly on the challenges of his Project Justice work.
    Today, especially, he’d needed the stress relief of a good workout. His attempts over the weekend to gather evidence he would need to free Christopher Gables had met with only limited success. Any day now, the state would set the date for Christopher’s execution, and time seemed to be slipping away.
    He hadn’t heard from Jamie over the weekend, and it was all he could do not to call her at home or on her cell. But she had to be handled delicately. Somehow, Daniel had to juggle the urgency of his quest with his desire not to push Jamie so hard that she walked away.
    The chukker was over, and it was time to change horses, give Laramie a well-deserved rest. He had just dismounted, handing Laramie off to a groom, when he spotted Jillian approaching with a determined stride and a distinct frown.
    Normally she didn’t let any aspects of her duties bother her on an emotional level. She was always upbeat, so a frown was out of character.
    When she reached him, she handed over a cell phone to him. “Jamie McNair. You told me to put her calls through under any circumstances.”
    “And I meant it.” He took the phone. “Yes,